Just Another Kiss
by iamdragonrider
Summary: Sequel to Just a Kiss. Sam had to kiss Jack in the line of duty, but now Jack can't stop thinking about her. Ch. 9. Conclusion. Sam and Jack talk. (COMPLETE)
1. And Then She Kissed Me, Sir

Summary: Sequel to Just a Kiss. Sam had to kiss Jack in the line of duty, but now Jack can't stop thinking about her.  
Category: Humor, Angst  
Season: Seven, Set just after Evolution part 2 and just prior to Grace, slight spoilers to both in the end.  
Rating: PG-13  
Warnings: Minor language  
Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author.

_Chapter 1: And Then She Kissed Me, Sir_

Jack's bare feet hit the metal ramp, the cold of the wormhole chilling him in ways he'd never quite felt before considering his current state of undress. Amusement flickered in the eyes of the stony faces arrayed about in the gate room, but military discipline held sway as he and his disheveled team clattered out of the open wormhole. With a final chilly blast that made Jack clamp his teeth shut to prevent them chattering and made him grip the flimsy covering of the jacket all that more protectively, the wormhole closed with a snap and SG-1 walked down the ramp to greet their CO, General Hammond, who did nothing to conceal his surprise over their appearance and early return. Next to him, Major Carter hugged her arms about her damp uniform and was unable to stop her shivering. Wet uniforms and the freezing temperatures of molecular reintegration didn't mix well. Medics appeared with blankets, and Jack happily accepted one as well, waving away any need to get checked out. Squaring his shoulders, Jack now felt ready to face the inquiring eyes of his commander.

"Colonel? I trust it's been an eventful trip?" Hammond surveyed the bedraggled group. Trust trouble to find SG-1 no matter where they went.

Casting another look over his team, Jack saw that Carter was still shivering but looked better under the thick blanket. Daniel and Teal'c had eschewed the blankets, but looked no less filthy than they had on the planet. And Jack could only guess how he must look, barefoot, with only the jacket under the blanket he now wore for a cloak. "Let's just say General sir, it's not easy being green."

Carter choked. Daniel snorted. Teal'c raised an eyebrow. Jack looked innocent. Hammond just looked confused, and decided he'd get nothing out of the group until they'd all had hot showers and meals.

"Go get cleaned up and checked out. I'm looking forward to this debriefing. SG-1, I'll see you in two hours. Dismissed." With that, Hammond turned and left the snickering team on the ramp to make their way to fight over who got the showers first. In the end, they let Carter go shower first since she was still soaked and shivering, and Jack had just been transformed to an animal and back again so did need to get checked out. With Sam promising to hurry so the guys wouldn't have long to wait, they hurried off in their separate directions, and Jack caught himself watching her go. Tearing his eyes away, Jack had to pick up the pace to catch up with Teal'c and Daniel on the way to the infirmary and wondered about the distracted nature of his thoughts.

He wasn't given long to think on it though, as he was soon given plenty of other things to think of, since Dr. Fraiser thought of all sorts of non-standard tests to run on him as soon as she found out what had happened on the planet. "Ouch Doc, you gonna leave any blood in me?" He complained grumpily, as she filled yet another vial. The pile of test tubes seemed more impressive than usual.

"Relax Colonel, its just standard protocol whenever something like this happens. We just want to make sure your body chemistry is back to normal." Janet filled the last vial and withdrew the needle, briskly removing the tourniquet and applying a gauze pad, letting Jack bend up his arm and hold the pressure on it while she dealt with the tests.

Jack's brow furrowed. "You have standard procedures for this sort of thing?" Somehow, that was more disturbing than being turned into a frog. Or being kissed by his 2IC, supplied his mind unbidden. Forcibly, Jack dragged his brain back on track.

"Around here, we've had to come up with quite a few non-standard, standard protocols if you know what I mean. Everything from alien possession to transformation, alien influence, mind control, you name it, we've probably got a protocol for it now." Janet finished labeling the tubes and turned back to the man on the gurney. "Ok Colonel. Looks like we're done here. Be sure to come back if you start to experience anything unusual, yours is a bit of a new case, so we don't really know what to expect. Go get cleaned up. Oh, and send Sam in when you see her." Janet turned her back to him to fuss with her tray, in effect dismissing him, and Jack didn't need a second invitation.

"Thanks Doc." Jack grabbed the scrub top that Janet had thoughtfully provided him with on his arrival to the infirmary, and pulled it on, grateful to be wearing pants and slippers, even if they were infirmary scrubs, at least he had _pants_. Hopping off the gurney, Jack made a beeline for SG-1's locker room, wanting to scrub clean. In the hall, he literally bumped into Carter, her hair still damp, her cheeks glowing from the warmth of the shower and the scrubbing she'd just given them.

"Sir!" She blushed.

Jack found his brain a wash of confusing emotions at the sight of her, but he couldn't stop looking at her. He coughed hiding his sudden embarrassment at their nearness, and sidestepped neatly, gesturing towards the infirmary. There were so many things he suddenly wanted to tell her but nothing seemed appropriate. "Doc's ready for you Carter," he said instead.

She wet her lips. "Thank you sir."

There was another awkward moment. Jack shifted. "I'll just, uh, go get changed. See you at the debriefing."

She frowned slightly, looking at him strangely. "Yes sir, see you then." She turned away, casting another look at him over her shoulder. He still stood in the hall watching her disappear into the infirmary. Giving herself a little shake, Sam told herself she was just imagining things. She'd been feeling like the Colonel had been staring at her an awful lot since their return from P3X-468. At first, she'd just been so relieved at finding the Colonel, she'd just thought he'd been teasing a bit and hadn't been able to resist a bit of her own back. Besides, it wasn't everyday one ended up with their CO naked in their arms, and she'd have to be a nun to think her CO wasn't the least bit attractive! But now they were back, and he kept looking at her with his dark eyes, but maybe she was just overreacting. She was bone tired and exhausted.

Telling herself that's all that it was, Sam forced a smile onto her face, and went to face Janet.

_RibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbit_

Two hours after their return, SG-1 sat in their customary places around the briefing table, with the addition of Janet Fraiser, who had wheedled her way in after getting an abbreviated version of events from the participants, and just decided that she _had_ to be there, and came on the excuse that she wanted to deliver the medical findings on Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter personally.

General Hammond entered the room last, everyone standing out of respect. "As you were." As soon as everyone had settled again, Hammond called the briefing to order.

Daniel started off first, describing the temple and the inscriptions he'd managed to decipher. Sam went next, detailing the alien machinery, offering what she knew about its power source, and what she remembered of events. The General looked concerned upon hearing about her head injury and inquired about her health, and Dr. Fraiser confirmed that she'd suffered no ill effects from the injury. The General's relief was short lived however, when she described the event that had transpired next, glossing over the events with the "frog from hell" as she'd secretly dubbed the little hellspawn, and keeping to the facts of the activation and subsequent transformation of the Colonel to a frog, though they hadn't realized it at the time. At this the General had interrupted the Major, and turned to the Colonel, to find him distractedly looking at a space just past Major Carter's shoulder, apparently daydreaming.

"Colonel O'Neill?" When the Colonel did not reply, Hammond rapped his knuckles on the table sharply once, causing the man to jump, startled.

Jack blinked several times, realizing everyone in the room was looking at him. All during the briefing he kept getting distracted by thoughts of Carter, and kept finding his attention wandering to her, despite every attempt to focus on something else. And now he'd been caught in the act. He felt a flush creeping up the back of his neck. "Ah, sir?" he addressed the General.

"Major Carter was just explaining your encounter with the alien artifact, Colonel. Perhaps you'd care to elaborate?"

Jack blinked again. "Oh! Bud!" Blank stares. "The frog?" More blank stares. "Never mind, not important." Trust Carter to not have mentioned the frog, they hadn't really gotten along. "Uh. The thing zapped me. Next thing I knew, I was a frog. Carter kissed me, we came home."

Two small gasps came from the female occupants of the room and Jack realized what he'd just said out loud. Obviously they hadn't gotten to that part of the explanation.

Oh. Shit.

Risking a glance across the table showed that Carter had her head bowed, but nothing could hide the red staining her pale skin. Daniel was looking anywhere but at him. Teal'c look surprised. For Teal'c. General Hammond's mouth was opening and closing in a remarkable impersonation of a fish. It was quite funny really, except the only thing Jack O'Neill wanted to do was leap across the table right that moment and reenact that kiss. Or maybe have the floor open up and swallow him. Yeah. That would be better. He gripped the table. Hard.

The silence in the room lengthened.

Finally, General Hammond seemed to regain control of his speech centers. "Colonel O'Neill, I assume you have an explanation for your last statement. One, I might add, that falls within the realm of acceptable Air Force regulations?" The General's voice was eerily calm and level.

Jack swallowed, and fidgeted nervously. Actually, he wasn't sure why exactly Carter had kissed him, nor why she and the others had been slogging through the pond kissing random frogs. Not that he was arguing, mind you considering the results. And that kiss…. Dammit O'Neill. But that lack of knowledge wasn't helping him right now, and the General's voice had held a deadly intonation to it, one that had suggested an assignment scrubbing latrines for the next six months should Hammond not like his answer. Jack squirmed some more and desperately tried to think of a satisfactory response, and Hammond continued to stare at him while Jack could feel sweat beading up on his forehead.

With a cough, Daniel interrupted, raising his hand slightly. "Actually, General sir, I can explain that." Was it Jack's imagination, or did Daniel's voice jump up an octave when Hammond directed his icy glare onto the startled archeologist? "The inscriptions at the shrine around the device that transformed Jack said the way to reverse the transformation was with a kiss from someone close."

Hammond frowned. "And so Major Carter was the only one who could change the Colonel back?" Hammond wasn't sure he liked where this was heading any more than the first implication.

"Ah, actually, we were all in the pond trying to find Jack," Daniel quickly tried to reassure the General, before the General could make the same assumptions he and Teal'c had made, and Sam was already embarrassed enough.

At this new revelation, the hint of a smile started to tug at the General's lips. "Dr. Jackson, do you mean to tell me that my premier team was wallowing through a pond on an alien world, kissing frogs?"

Daniel looked at his teammates for support, unsure how to proceed with the General's sudden change in attitude. Always loyal, Teal'c stepped in.

"Indeed General Hammond. Our attentions even seemed welcomed by many of the denizens of the pond."

At that, General Hammond blinked, momentarily speechless again, and Sam couldn't help but add a bit of her own observation in an attempt to get some of the attention off herself, her cheeks still slightly pink from Jack's earlier announcement. "Teal'c is quite a charmer, sir."

Hammond cleared his throat, the tension n the room suddenly lifting, and called the meeting back to order before it got out of hand. "Dr. Fraiser, have you anything to report on Colonel O'Neill's condition?"

Slightly distracted by the rapid mood shifts and recent revelations, it took a moment for Janet to focus. "No sir, other than some slightly higher than normal hormone levels, there's nothing to be concerned about, he's in perfect health. Better than usual in fact, I don't even see a need to keep him for observation."

"Very well then. SG-1, Dr. Fraiser, thank you. I'll expect your reports sometime tomorrow, dismissed." While the military members of the room snapped to attention at Hammond's dismissal, Jack's thoughts again wandered to less appropriate avenues, and he decided that he'd best go work out some of his wayward emotions on some of the gym equipment, as he yet again had to drag his eyes away from his attractive 2IC. Unfortunately for him, his second had similar plans.


	2. Distracted

_Chapter 2: Distracted_

Jack had changed into an old gray T-shirt and loose shorts, and convinced Teal'c to come spar with him. They were just going through some simple warm ups and Jack was congratulating himself on his good thinking, when the object of his continued distraction walked through the door. Unbidden, his eyes followed her progress, and a move a first year cadet would never have missed caught him in the midsection.

"Oomph" he exhaled forcefully. Fortunately, Teal'c had caught onto his momentary inattention and pulled his blow.

"O'Neill?"

"Fine Teal'c" Jack wheezed, then bounced up and down a bit, tossing a half hearted punch, and maneuvering so he could keep Carter in sight over Teal'c's shoulder as they sparred. She was pulling off her sweats now, revealing a close fitting tank top and shorts that revealed more leg than he thought possible. A large fist abruptly blocked his vision, and somehow, Jack instinctively ducked, the flurry of blows that followed driving any thoughts of his 2IC's choice of workout gear temporarily out of his mind as he ducked and parried. Still, in record time, O'Neill was staring up at the ceiling. He blinked, wondering how he'd gotten there so fast.

"You seem preoccupied today O'Neill." Teal'c reached down a large hand, hauling Jack to his feet. Jack was panting heavily, but Teal'c hadn't even broken a sweat. Figured.

"What? Me? No. I'm fine. Let's go again." Jack bounced up and down some more, and feinted to the right in time to notice that Carter was now on the elliptical. She had a fine sheen of sweat all over her, and the low cut of her tank top let him see how her…

Jack was suddenly staring at the ceiling again in confusion.

"Are you sure you are well O'Neill? Perhaps we should spar again tomorrow." Teal'c cocked his head to the side, regarding the prone man. Jack scowled, and as if to prove how fine he was, hauled his own ass off the floor, eschewing the proffered hand.

"See? Fine. Now c'mon." With that, Jack swung, and Teal'c was forced to defend himself. Losing himself in the dance of jab and hook, Jack was pleased that he'd not thought of Carter in several moments.

As if the mere idea had conjured back his preoccupation, Jack found his eyes wandering back to the tall blonde on the other side of the room, noting she was finished on the machine she'd been working on, and was now toweling her face and body. Almost as if sensing his attention, she looked up, and her blue eyes locked on his, and the last thing he remembered seeing was her beautiful eyes widening in alarm, as something collided with the side of his head.

As he fell, he thought he heard her shout his name, but he wasn't sure, because the darkness swallowed him up.

_RibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbit_

Jack woke to an insistent buzzing, and an assortment of noises that gradually sorted themselves into voices and machinery beeping.

"Colonel? Colonel O'Neill? Can you hear me?"

A small hand patted firmly and insistently at his cheek and he groaned, reaching up and pushed it away. Geez, but he felt like he'd been run over by a large, fast moving object.

"Colonel, Jack, open your eyes. I can make it Doctor's order if I have to."

Finally Jack recognized the voice of Doctor Janet Fraiser, and groaned again realizing where he was. "Did somebody get the number of the truck that hit me?" he muttered, cracking an eye open, to reveal the concerned faces of the doctor, his team, and General Hammond. Wow.

"Do you remember what happened Colonel?" Janet wasted no time in flashing a penlight in both of Jack's eyes. He flinched.

"Uh, no. What happened?" His fingers were now exploring a bump on the side of his head and he winced, noticing Sam (safely covered in baggy sweats he noted with relief) and Daniel both wince in sympathy, and he realized he was also wearing his sweaty workout clothes.

Teal'c stepped into his field of vision, similarly clad, and things snicked into place. "My apologies O'Neill. I should have ended our sparring match when I discovered how preoccupied your thoughts were. It was not my intention to cause you injury."

"Hey, no problem buddy. Besides, this is a bit of payback isn't it?" Teal'c raised an eyebrow, obviously remembering a similar situation, several years before.

Before Teal'c had a chance to refute the statement, Janet moved to take charge, indicating it was time for everyone else to leave. "Ok, you've all seen he's fine. Everybody out. Now. Shoo." Janet made waving motions with her hands.

With a grin, Sam and Daniel hopped off the nearby gurney they'd been sitting on, but Sam grabbed the edge, swaying, her face suddenly drained of color. "Whoa."

Concerned, Daniel caught her arm, steadying her. "What is it Sam?"

Jack sat up on his own gurney, moving to climb off, but Janet was faster, pushing him back down and grabbing Teal'c, her intention clear. The message received, the Jaffa would not fail her. Her original patient secure behind her and in good hands, Janet rounded on her new patient.

As predicted, Sam was already trying to brush it off. "I'm fine Janet, just got up too fast, it's been a long day, I haven't had lunch here yet, got a little dizzy, that's all." She pasted a smile on her face, but Janet noted the slightly flushed cheeks, unusually pale skin and slight sheen of sweat on the Major's forehead.

Shaking her head, Janet reached up and pressed her hand against Sam's forehead, unconsciously smoothing back a few sweaty strands of blonde hair. "I don't think so Sam. Back up there, or I'll have Teal'c put you there." Turning away, knowing the Major would comply even though the threat had lacked finesse; Janet went to gather a few things, General Hammond catching her eye on the way.

"Doctor Fraiser?" His tone was concerned.

"I don't know sir, I'll know more in a moment." Dr. Fraiser placed several items on a tray, and headed back to her patients.

The General nodded "I'll be in my office, keep me informed," he said, and left her to her work.

Janet returned to find Sam seated on the gurney, fidgeting, Daniel hovering nearby. Jack was still sitting up on the next gurney, Teal'c standing over him, but at least Jack was still on his own gurney and not pacing around. Deciding she could start with a few basic vitals before throwing the men out and pulling the curtains, Janet pulled out the thermometer, Sam scowling when she saw it. Janet put on the blood pressure cuff and checked her pulse while she waited for the result. The probe beeped and she pulled it out, confirming her earlier guess.

"101.2 Looks like you have a slight fever Sam. We'll find you a bed, you'll be spending the night after I do a work-up, we'll need to make sure this isn't something that came back from the last planet you just visited." Janet turned to go inform the General, already expecting the protest before Sam spoke.

"But I feel fine Janet!"

"Sam, you know the protocols as well as I do, standard decontamination. And that means you three as well, full work ups, until we know this isn't something contagious." Janet turned her glare to include the three male members of SG-1. "Ah! No buts!" And Janet stormed away to gather the needed medical supplies and techs to aid with a group of reluctant patients and her night suddenly looking a whole lot worse.

Jack blinked from his position on his gurney, then looked to where Sam sat, stunned. "Way to go Carter."

"But I feel fine," she mumbled, without much conviction.


	3. Isolation

_Chapter 3: Isolation_

Within a few hours, Daniel was showing similar symptoms of fever and malaise to Sam, and was ensconced in the bed next to Sam, who was by now curled in a little ball, fast asleep. She'd finally given up on protesting that she'd felt fine, admitted that she felt like crap, taken something for the fever, and fallen promptly asleep, barely stirring even when the nurses checked her vital signs.

Across from them, in the large isolation room Dr. Fraiser had moved SG-1 to when Dr. Jackson had started exhibiting symptoms, Jack sat on the edge of his own bed, fully clothed, engaged in a game of cards with Teal'c on a table between the other two beds. Neither man showed any signs of the infection the other two had. Jack was oddly pleased that Carter's current state gave him little cause for distracted thoughts. Not that he was happy that his 2IC was sick as a dog across the room from him. It was just hard to have libidinous thoughts about someone when she looked like death warmed over, and all you could see of her was a few tufts of hair and an unidentified lump that occasionally moaned. Which was all the better in his mind when you were stuck in the same room with the object of said thoughts for an unknown length of time. Hopefully, by the time they got out of here, Jack will have found a way to control his new thoughts, or he'd be taking a lot of cold showers. So far, Jack had also managed to keep the thoughts to himself, and for now, he planned to keep it that way. It wasn't exactly something easy to bring up anyway. "Oh, by the way, I'm having inappropriate thoughts about my second in command." Yeah, right. That one would fly.

A knock on the door made the three men look up from their activities and interrupted Jack's introspection, then the door opened, heralding the arrival of Dr. Fraiser and a tech pushing a cart with a tantalizing aroma. Both of the arrivals were wearing isolation gowns, gloves, and surgical masks.

Jack jumped up off his bed while Teal'c stood more slowly Daniel remained in his bed, but did put his book down. Carter didn't move, in fact she didn't even seem aware anyone had come in. Janet sent a glance her way, with an inquiring eyebrow. Jack just shrugged, and turned his attention to the cart with a grin. "That doesn't smell like commissary food Doc."

Janet stepped out of the way, revealing wrapped sub sandwiches. "It's not Colonel. General Hammond sent an airman out. Seems he had a craving for some Philly steak and cheese." Janet looked slightly amused. Jack just grinned and pounced on the loaded cart, tossing one of the greasy wrapped sandwiches to Teal'c, and snagging three more. He dropped one on his own table and passed another off to Daniel, before unwrapping the third and approaching the unmoving figure on the last bed.

"Perhaps we should wait until Major Carter wakes O'Neill." Teal'c sounded hesitant to disturb the sleeping Major. Jack sent a look at the doctor who just shrugged.

"She's been sleeping for hours Teal'c, it's about time she rejoined the land of the living and had something to eat." With that, Jack firmly grabbed the sleeping woman's shoulder, and gave her a little shake, while using the other hand to wave the juicy aromatic steak sub under the unsuspecting Major's nose. "Up and at 'em Major. Hammond got us dinner, time to eat."

Sam groaned and stirred as he waved the sub enticingly, and then he got a response he'd not been expecting.

Hands blindly shoved the sub into his chest, making a greasy blob of his shirt front, while at the same time the bleary eyed, deathly pale Major shot up, a hand firmly clamped over her mouth, eyes wide and frantic. "Oh God," she mumbled. Staggering to her feet, she lurched out of bed. Clinging to the bed frame and wall for support, she wavered to the bathroom before anyone had time to react. Once there, the unmistakable sounds of someone heaving could be heard through the door that she hadn't quite managed to close all the way.

The three men grimaced in sympathy, and Daniel suddenly picked at his half unwrapped sub, pushing it away. "Uh, I'm not really hungry anymore."

Jack looked down at his sub-encrusted shirtfront, which was dripping onto the floor. "Well that was unexpected. I think, I'll, uh, change."

Janet just glared at all three of them in disgust and went into the bathroom after the Major, who could still be heard retching rather spectacularly. It sounded like she was trying to bring up her toes. Daniel and Teal'c stared at Jack accusingly. "What?" he said. "I didn't know she'd do that." Jack brushed at his shirt ineffectively, dropping the ruined sandwich in the nearest bin, before hunting out a spare shirt.

Jack was more than halfway through his own sub, consuming it with gusto, Daniel watching him with a look of revulsion on his face, when Janet led a very subdued Sam back to bed. The woman was considerably paler if it was at all possible. Sam crawled back under the covers without a word to anyone, and drew the blankets up over her head.

"Sociable." Jack commented, his mouth full.

"I can't believe you can eat like that," Daniel said, frowning. He was still picking at his mostly uneaten sandwich. Janet noticed, and came to remove it.

"I think we should probably switch you to something like soup and crackers for now Dr. Jackson." Remarkably, Daniel did not protest. Janet motioned for the tech to make the arrangements.

"Hey, more for us," Jack motioned to him and Teal'c, then pointed to the cart, which still had several uneaten wrapped sandwiches on it. At his words, there was a soft moan from the lump that was Carter. "Sorry Carter," he mumbled around another mouthful, not the least bit repentant. He was in an awful good mood all of a sudden, and nothing was dampening it. He wasn't sure why, but his moods kept taking rapid shifts, but for the moment, he didn't much care as long as Carter was out of sight again.

Janet noticed too. "You're cheerful Colonel."

Jack just shrugged, and took another big bite of sandwich.

Janet just rolled her eyes, and left him alone with his lunch.

_RibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbit_

Several more hours passed in isolation, and Jack's good mood had faded into boredom. He and Teal'c had played at least one round of every card game the two of them knew, and some he'd made up on the spot. Daniel was no fun, reading his book when awake, but mostly sleeping, and Carter had gone back into hibernation except for the one other time she'd made a mad dash to the bathroom to throw up again. Daniel seemed to have gotten off lucky. Other than suffering some nausea and loss of appetite, he was keeping down liquids and small amounts of dry foods. After Carter's second sacrifice to the porcelain god, she'd bought herself an IV, so now in addition to the lump under the blankets and tuft of blonde hair poking out of the covers, the thin bit of plastic tubing and bag of fluid testified that the bed in the corner was indeed occupied. Jack tried not to think much about it otherwise.

There was another knock on the door, and Jack looked up, Dr. Fraiser was not unexpected, however General Hammond decked out in isolation gear standing just behind her was a surprise. Jack rose to his feet, Teal'c a split second later, and Jack saw Daniel stir groggily. Carter as predicted, didn't move.

"As you were people." Daniel's eyes cracked open at the General's voice. Carter still hadn't shown any signs of movement, but the monitor that Janet had hooked up when she'd inserted the IV showed reassuring signs of life so Jack decided she was really OK, just probably wishing she were dead, if the way she had looked on that last trip to the bathroom were any indication on how she really felt.

"Dr. Fraiser has some news I thought you'd all like to hear." General Hammond inclined his head towards the petite doctor.

"We've figured out what Major Carter and Dr. Jackson have, and it's not communicable, and we're pretty sure it came from P3X-468." At Janet's words, Daniel breathed a sigh of relief. The other man always fretted about bringing back some potential plague, or being the cause of a potential plague on another world.

"Does that mean me and Teal'c can get out of here?" Jack jerked his thumb back and forth, looking hopeful.

"Not yet Colonel." Hammond looked apologetic and motioned for the Doctor to continue. Jack's face fell.

"While it's not communicable, its still spread by direct contact with contaminated body fluids, which means you might all have been exposed, and we aren't sure how long the incubation period is. It is viral, so hopefully will run it's course in a day or two. To be safe, we're going to keep all of you in here until Major Carter and Doctor Jackson are feeling better." Janet's voice was sympathetic. She knew the colonel hated being bored, and she felt sorry for the rest of SG-1 being trapped with him. At least Carter was oblivious, she spared a glance for the woman, who looked to have not moved since the last time she was in the room to start the IV and attach the monitor.

"So, maybe tomorrow?" The colonel was hopeful. He could put up with one more night.

"Maybe." Janet knew better than to make any promises.

Jack just shrugged. "They just gotta eat. No problem." He grinned.

Janet raised her eyebrows, casting a glance at the unmoving mound in the corner bed. "Ri-ight" she said slowly, remembering the disastrous events from earlier.

Jack's grin never wavered, and he seemed confident. "Just send us some tea and toast in the morning, I'll make sure they get something in them."

With a sigh, Janet just rolled her eyes, and exchanged a glance with the General. They bid SG-1 a good night, and left the team in peace.


	4. Out of the Frying Pan

_Chapter 4: Out of the Frying Pan_

The next morning, a tray of wholesome breakfast foods arrived for Jack and Teal'c, as well as a separate selection of broth, tea, toast and crackers for those with more sensitive stomachs. Jack beamed at the array of choices.

"Ok kids, breakfast and we can get out of here!" His announcement was cheerful and a bit overly loud.

Daniel groaned, and cracked an eye open. Teal'c was already awake, and merely raised an eyebrow. Jack glared at the sleeping mound that was Carter, which hadn't stirred. He took a step closer to the bed, deciding more drastic measures were necessary.

Sensing his intentions, Daniel sat up in alarm, "Uh, Jack…"

But Teal'c was already one step ahead. "I will assist Major Carter with her morning meal, O'Neill. Perhaps you would like to offer Daniel Jackson your assistance?" Teal'c's voice gave no chance for argument, and the firm hand on Jack's arm offered no other option.

Jack scowled, looking from Teal'c to Daniel, and then the mound that was Carter, remembering how he'd ended up wearing dinner last night. Deciding he'd rather not wear breakfast too, he shrugged. "Fine, knock yourself out."

"O'Neill, if I remember correctly, it was you who were knocked out yesterday."

Grumbling under his breath, Jack went to investigate the breakfast cart, banging the trays around to put together things for him and Daniel.

He hated to admit it, but watching Teal'c work, he was glad the Jaffa had stepped in. Somehow, the massive warrior gently cajoled the Major into waking. He didn't believe it at first, but when her tussled head appeared from under the covers, he had to give Teal'c credit, for the man had patience. It took a great deal more coaxing to get her to sip some tea and nibble on some toast, but somehow Teal'c did that too. By the time Janet had arrived to check on them for the morning, Teal'c had gotten her to swallow half a cupful of the tea and eat almost half a piece of toast. Jack had had more success with Daniel, but then again Daniel felt loads better than Sam had, and had eaten two pieces of toast, and finished off most of a bowl of broth and was now working on his second cup of tea.

Janet looked pleased with the progress while she helped Sam to the bathroom, but refused to commit to letting them go just yet, merely quoting a vague "after lunch" pending how things went in response to Jack's repeated questions on a time estimate to their release, and instead fussed over Sam's IV and monitor as she settled the woman back into bed, then went to check on Daniel, and made sure Jack and Teal'c weren't suffering any new symptoms today as she signaled the tech to draw new blood samples from all four.

Sam was already back asleep and Jack was pleased with himself for being able to control himself while she was visible, no one had seemed to notice anything amiss as he'd kept up a steady stream of chatter about the game last night with the tech that was drawing his blood. Jack smiled smugly, relieved that Carter was now ensconced and out of sight. It seemed as long as she was out of sight, she was out of mind as well. For the most part, he still had thoughts; it was just easier to control them without the object in view.

The next few hours passed without incident, Carter and Daniel dozing off and on. Well Daniel dozed off and on, Carter continued to sleep like the dead until lunch arrived. Jack decided to let Teal'c handle her again, since he'd done so well with breakfast. Lunch consisted of a tray of assorted lunchmeat sandwiches and soup and tea, as well as soft drinks. Teal'c took some tea and a bowl of soup over to Carter's bed and started the slow process of encouraging the reluctant Major to rejoin the world around her. Jack wondered if she'd always been like this.

Daniel was feeling well enough to eat a half a sandwich as well as a bowl of soup, and Jack kept up a steady stream of chatter while he attacked his meal with a vengeance, so that he could ignore the reappearance of the rumpled looking Carter from her cocoon. Daniel looked at him oddly a few times, but just chalked it up to one bored Colonel, and humored the constant conversation by interjecting comments when Jack curiously brought the topic towards archeology a few times. Obviously bored Daniel decided, although the man seemed to be having trouble keeping his eyes on what he was doing he noted, as Jack apologized for the umpteenth time for slopping soup over the side of his bowl having been distracted by something Sam and Teal'c were doing. Daniel wasn't sure what was so fascinating over there. Shrugging, Daniel replied to a question Jack had just asked about the artifact that SG-11 had just brought back from the planet they'd been studying.

Jack breathed a sigh of relief as he distracted Daniel yet again, and cursed his clumsiness. Daniel was too sharp, but fortunately he was keeping the archeologist distracted with questions about his field. Questions Jack promptly forgot the answers to as his attention wandered back to his sleepy Major, who was now propped up in the bed, sipping tea. He thought she looked especially charming with bed head. Charming? Where had that come from? Jack scowled down at his soup, spearing the floating pasta letters, realizing he'd spelled out 'Carter' in the soup. With a muffled curse, he stirred the soup around, and wondered what to do about his dilemma, deciding as soon as he got out he'd take some time alone. He knew he'd be able to sort things out. With luck, they'd get some downtime out of this, and maybe he could even get up to his cabin, just him, a reel, and a rod… Perfect.

The arrival of Doc Fraiser interrupted his internal debate, and she smiled to see them all sitting up and eating, especially Sam.

Jack pushed the mostly full soup bowl away. "So, Doc, we gettin' outta here?"

Janet's eyes appraised the leftover quantities on Daniel and Sam's trays, and she nodded slowly, but held up a finger to forestall the Colonel's exuberant whoop. "I think I can let you all go, provided," and here's where Jack sensed a big but coming, one he had a feeling he wouldn't like and would mean no cabin, "all of you take it easy. I'm putting SG-1 on medical stand down for the next three days, so I don't expect to see any of you on base for at least that long. However, I don't really think Sam or Daniel should be alone right now, at least for the first day or two." And now she looked pointedly at the Colonel.

Jack blinked. Then he squirmed. Daniel spoke up. "It's only fair Jack, we are sick because of you."

Well, when they put it that way. Jack sighed. Nope, no cabin, and looked like no chance of him being all alone either. And the source of all his problems would be coming to his house. Jack realized everyone was looking at him, waiting for a response. "Fine. They can stay at my place. Teal'c too." The more the merrier. And the less chance he'd be left alone with Carter. Jack tried to convince himself he'd be fine for a few more days, besides, he'd been fine when he'd been in the same room right?

Janet smiled. "I thought you'd agree. Ok, let's get you checked out one last time, and send you home."

It actually took nearly two hours to get them on their way, since Janet decided that Sam needed to shower. Sam seemed to be just a little on the confused side, but she was agreeable to whatever plans were made, as long as they let her go back to sleep. So it was an interesting group that loaded into Jack's oversized black truck. They had one large impassive alien in the front seat. One sleepy Major who refused to give up the blanket she had wrapped around her shoulders, and immediately leaned against the back window and promptly dozed off. (Daniel had to reach over and fasten her seatbelt for her) One moderately alert archeologist, who was happy to be out of isolation, even if it meant going to Jack's house. And one apprehensive Air Force colonel who had to resist the urge to readjust the rearview mirror to get an unobstructed view of his sleeping 2IC.

There was only one near miss on they way home, when Jack's distracted thoughts nearly caused him to drive through a stop sign. Fortunately, there was no oncoming traffic, and he caught himself in time, although his sudden heavy braking woke Carter briefly. "Wha?" she mumbled sleepily, making his heart flutter.

"Go back to sleep Carter," he ordered somewhat gruffly, trying to regain control of his raging emotions and wondering what the hell was the matter with him.

"Yessir," she slurred, already drifting off again. Daniel and Teal'c shared a look that Jack missed with his eyes glued to the road, as he drilled the thought "I will not have inappropriate thoughts about my 2IC" over and over in his head like the way Bart Simpson always wrote his punishment on the blackboard at the beginning of every episode.

Bounding out of the truck as soon as he'd parked in his driveway, Jack left the sleepy Major to Daniel and Teal'c, grabbing the house keys and bag of groceries Janet had thoughtfully provided them with. Opening the door for the mismatched group, Jack stood back, trying not to let his eyes linger on a certain someone as she entered his living room, kicked her shoes off haphazardly and made a beeline for the loveseat, where she promptly curled into a little ball and pulled her blanket up over her head.

Finding comfort in sarcasm, Jack couldn't resist. "Make yourself at home why don't you," he commented wryly.

Daniel pushed past him. "Thanks Jack, don't mind if I do." Following Sam's lead, Daniel also kicked off his shoes, though in a rather more controlled fashion and plopped onto the sofa, where he immediately picked up the remote and started surfing.

"Hey, no historical documentaries on ancient Egypt, ok Spacemonkey?" Jack gave his best my house, my rules voice.

Ignoring him, Daniel continued to flick through the channels. "And why not?" There was just the slightest hint of challenge in Daniel's tone.

"Because, Daniel," Jack said slowly, "every time we watch one of those you spend the entire time arguing with the narrator about how inaccurate they are." Jack finished like it was obvious. He crossed his arms over his chest, expression set.

"Well in that case, we can't watch any sporting events, because you spend the entire time arguing with the referee about how wrong they were," Daniel shot back without missing a beat, eyes still fixed on the screen, oblivious to the Colonel's mock glare. In the meantime, Teal'c had joined Daniel on the large sofa, and watched the two men in silent bemusement, his interest divided between the conversation and the television guide he had picked up off the coffee table.

Jack grinned suddenly, the casual banter making him relax in a way he hadn't felt relaxed in the last two days since their return from the planet. He had just opened his mouth to make a comeback, when a soft sigh from the loveseat caught his attention. Jack froze, his eyes automatically drawn to the sight of Carter stirring in her sleep, one arm slipping out of her cozy little blanket nest, pulling down the cover and exposing her face, cheeks flushed from sleep and hair again tussled. Stiffening, Jack knew he needed to get out of the room before he said or did something stupid.

"Ah, you guys pick something. I'm gonna go jump in a lake. I mean the shower. Take a shower. Yeah. Be right back." He bolted, leaving two very confused members of SG-1 in the room. Moments later, the shower could be heard running, and a muffled yelp.

Sharing a glance with Daniel Jackson, Teal'c spoke. "O'Neill seems to be most preoccupied."

"Yeah, Jack's been acting a little strange. I thought maybe it was just boredom, but I don't know." Unbidden, his eyes were drawn to the sleeping form of Sam Carter, who was blissfully oblivious to their conversation.

"O'Neill has been easily distracted since our return from P3X-468"

"So you've noticed too?"

"Indeed Daniel Jackson. O'Neill has had much difficulty concentrating even on simple tasks."

Continuing to flip through all 175 channels on Jack's TV, Daniel sent another glance at the sleeping figure on the loveseat, wishing she were awake, and more aware of what was going on. Her opinion would be welcome. "You, uh, do you think we need to mention this to anyone else yet?"

Teal'c considered the question quietly for a moment, studying the television screen as Daniel changed channels, before speaking softly so as not to disturb their sleeping companion. "No, I do not believe it to be of sufficient concern at this time. However, I feel we should remain most vigilant Daniel Jackson."

"Yeah, me too Teal'c. Me too." And Daniel continued to surf, as if somehow the answer to their questions could be found somewhere in the land of digital cable.


	5. Into the Fire

_Chapter 5: Into the Fire_

Jack took quite a long shower, although from the occasional muffled yelps, it didn't seem to be a pleasant one. Just as Daniel was about to suggest one of them going to check up on the missing Colonel, the shower shut off, and Jack could be heard banging around in his bedroom. The occasional thumps, bumps and bangs went on for nearly half an hour before a slightly damp, rather tense looking Colonel O'Neill appeared in the living room where Daniel and Teal'c were watching a Trading Spaces marathon, took one look at the sleeping occupant on the loveseat, muttered something about making tea, and disappeared into the kitchen.

More banging and rattling ensued. Daniel and Teal'c looked at each other. "I'll go," volunteered Daniel bravely, with a bit more courage than he actually felt.

The younger man returned a few minutes later, shaking his head, wincing slightly. "I wouldn't go out there if I were you." When Teal'c raised an eyebrow, Daniel just spread his hands wide to indicate a size. "He's got a knife, like this. I don't think he wants company right now. He's ok for now I think, but we should give him a little space for a while, maybe later, okay?"

The eyebrow remained up, but Teal'c nodded reluctantly, and returned his attention to the current show. After all, his favorite designer, Frank, was redesigning a kitchen, and he was anxious to see the results. He'd become fascinated with home improvement shows, but Trading Spaces in particular was most appealing, most likely due to the fact that the occupants of the homes had no ideas what would be done to the rooms in their absence. Teal'c found the reactions of the homeowners to the finished rooms to be varied, interesting, and sometimes amusing. Additionally, Teal'c was learning many things about design, and had already made a few small changes to his quarters within the limits of military property. One day, he hoped to have his own 'space' to furnish to his liking, as he believed he would enjoy decorating it to his own tastes.

It was nearly a half hour before Jack reappeared from the kitchen; he was wearing a considerable amount of ingredients, but bearing a tray with a rather impressive spread of sandwiches, chips, soup, tea, and crackers. Daniel and Teal'c looked suitably impressed. Carter slept on unaware.

Jack placed the overloaded tray on the coffee table, then chose the chair farthest away from Carter, turned it towards the TV, and not so subtly so that it was facing away from Sam, and plopped down into it, grabbing a sandwich from the tray. "So," he said, as if nothing at all unusual had been going on, "Whatcha watching?"

Daniel and Teal'c exchanged another glance, and wordlessly decided they would play along. Daniel answered. "We're watching Trading Spaces, Jack"

"Oh, cool, I like that show. Hey, did you see that episode where they made that woman cry because she hated what they did to her bedroom so much?"

Daniel grinned. Now this Jack O'Neill was more like it. "How about the time the lady said not to paint her fireplace, so the guy built a wooden box to cover it up instead and she said it had to go?"

Teal'c stood up, and ladled some soup into a bowl. Jack looked at him when he didn't head back to his seat. "Hey, T, where you going?"

"I am going to see if Major Carter wishes to join us in our evening meal O'Neill." Teal'c turned to wake the sleeping Major, and Jack frowned as if remembering something.

Suddenly, Jack jumped up, and grabbed another sandwich. "You know guys, I just realized, I need to clean out the garage. If you need anything, I'll be out there." Before either of the other two had a chance to reply, Jack had bolted from the room, leaving Daniel and Teal'c staring after him.

Sam chose that moment to wake up. Sitting up, she pulled her blanket around her, and rubbed sleep from her eyes. "Hi guys." She blinked sleepily. "Where's the Colonel?"

Frowning, Daniel shared another look with Teal'c, before replying, "Uh, he's cleaning out the garage."

"Oh," she replied, as if this made perfect sense. "I'm hungry," she announced plaintively, and Teal'c hastened to her side with the bowl of soup. The two men had no choice but to leave a discussion of their concerns for later.

_RibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbit_

Unfortunately, later never came. Just as Sam had drifted off back to sleep Jack returned, rather dirtier than before and made a beeline for another shower. The two watched while Sam sighed, shifting, and settling into sleep. Finally assured that she wouldn't wake, Daniel had just turned to Teal'c, who was absorbed in the latest episode of Trading Spaces (Daniel couldn't believe the designer was putting that particular color on the walls, but whatever, not his home), when the phone rang. Pouncing on it quickly after the first ring so as not to wake Sam, Daniel answered and carried it into the kitchen, quickly passing it to Teal'c who had followed him out of the living room. "It's for you," he said simply, with a shrug.

Teal'c accepted the phone, and spoke quietly to the person on the other end, with pauses after each of his statements. "Yes, it is I." There was a longer pause. "Yes General Hammond. We are doing well General Hammond, thank you. That would be most acceptable. No, General Hammond, it would not cause any difficulty. Daniel Jackson is standing at my side, would you like to speak with him?"

Daniel blinked as Teal'c passed the phone back to him. "General sir? Uh, yes. Uh, yeah, I'm feeling much better, thank you sir. No, no it's not a problem really, not at all. I understand, though you should probably explain to Dr. Fraiser why we're back on base so soon. No, no I don't mind at all, really, I feel fine, and it's only for a few hours. Besides, it's Sam that needs to rest; we've been watching TV all day anyway. Yes, she's doing fine too General, I'll tell her when she wakes up. Sure, I'll see you in about half an hour."

Jack entered the kitchen, looking damp and disheveled just as Daniel hung up the phone. "Did I hear the phone ring?"

Daniel decided to explain. Casting a quick look to Teal'c, he swallowed. "Uh, yeah. That was General Hammond. Seems that Bra'tac arrived just a little while ago, with a scroll that he needs help translating. The General sent a car out for Teal'c and me. It should only take a few hours."

"But you're supposed to be on medical downtime Daniel. Why can't someone else do it?" Jack scowled suddenly tense.

"I'll be fine Jack, really, I feel great, and Teal'c will be with me. Bra'tac asked specifically for our help, and it sounds like the language might be a little tricky, it might be best for me to look at it anyway. Like I said, its just a few hours, and we'll be back here before you know it."

But Jack's hands were balled into fists and he was pacing around the kitchen. Daniel narrowed his eyes at the man, and tried to decide how to field this one. Fortunately, Teal'c decided to step in instead.

"Are you well O'Neill?"

Snapping out of it, Jack realized what he was doing, and forced himself to relax. "Sorry, I'm fine. Just worried about them bringing you back that's all, we were supposed to have a couple days off." But Jack's eyes were wandering towards the doorway to the living room, and Daniel wasn't sure if he believed him completely, but they weren't given much time to contemplate, because a horn sounded, signaling their ride.

"I believe we must depart Daniel Jackson."

Daniel and Teal'c headed for the front door, but Daniel cast another look at Jack. "You sure you'll be okay Jack?"

Jack's reply was somewhat distracted. "Yeah, fine, we'll be fine. It's just a few hours. What can happen in a few hours anyway? I think I'll go do some laundry. What could happen? You worry too much Daniel."

But watching Jack head from the room, Daniel wasn't very reassured by Jack's parting words, and there was a nagging sense of worry as he looked at the sleeping figure of Sam curled up on the loveseat. But still, he knew Jack, and he knew Sam, and he knew Jack would never do anything to hurt Sam, and they'd only be gone a few hours, right?

_RibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbit_

Distractedly, Jack listened while the car pulled away from the curb, carrying Teal'c and Daniel away from his house, and he nervously grabbed dirty laundry from his hamper and threw in into his basket, heedless of the fact he was mixing colors and whites. His path carried him past the living room, and his thoughts invariably wandered to the sleeping figure on his loveseat, which he was now alone with in his own home, and he cursed the fates and fortunes. At least with Teal'c and Daniel there, he'd had some sort of buffer, but now he was afraid of what he might do, especially with Carter as weak as a day old kitten. At least when she was at fighting strength he knew she could probably mop the deck with his face if needed, but right now… Think about something else. Angrily, he threw socks and shirts into the washer, dumped a bunch of soap in without measuring it, and turned the thing on without paying attention to what it was set for.

He needed to do something physical. The bathroom needed scrubbing. Yeah, that would work. Avoiding looking into the living room, he ducked back into the kitchen, grabbed some cleaning chemicals from under the sink and headed upstairs, where he spent the next hour scrubbing the small bathroom until it sparkled. Unfortunately, he was still thinking about Carter, as well as being sweaty, tired, and achy, so he took another cold shower. Yelping under the chill spray, he cursed himself for being an idiot, and promised himself that as soon as Daniel and Teal'c came back he would call Dr. Fraiser, explanations be damned, because he wasn't sure he could trust himself anymore.

Shivering, he got out of the shower, and dressed, dashing back through the living room to put the clothes in the dryer, not even noticing that all his white clothes were now pink from the dark red shirts he'd put in there. He should probably do some dishes, but most of the dirty dishes were in the living room, and he wasn't sure if he trusted himself to go in there. Cursing his own cowardice, Jack squared his shoulders, telling himself he'd worked with the woman for seven years; he could be in the same _room_ for cryin' out loud for long enough to collect a few dirty dishes.

Mind made up, Jack marched into the room, intending to grab the tray and get out as fast as possible, but his body had other plans. He'd come up behind the loveseat, and unbidden, his eyes had traveled downward, and his feet had literally frozen in place, refusing to budge. He had no idea how long he stood there, simply watching her.

In her sleep, she'd kicked her blanket free from her upper body, revealing the black t-shirt and light colored jeans she'd worn for the ride home. Her skin was pale and creamy, her cheeks a rosy contrast from sleep or perhaps a lingering fever, her short blonde hair rumpled and framing her face. One hand was curled under her head, while the other lay on her stomach, long slender fingers relaxed. The blanket was partially tangled in her legs, and she was halfway on her back, leaning against the back of the loveseat. He was struck by how angelic she looked, how at peace, and he wanted to touch her, and at the same time he knew how wrong that was, but for some reason he didn't care. He could feel his heart pounding, his breathing growing heavier. He felt like he'd explode if he didn't touch her, hold her, how could she be sleeping when he felt like this?

But somehow, too, he knew he didn't want her to wake up, because the moment would be broken, because she would remember this was wrong, and she would make him remember too, and he didn't want that, not yet. So carefully, stealthily, he approached her sleeping figure, and oh so gently, he repositioned her head, sliding underneath her so that his lap made a pillow. Reveling in her softness, in her warmth, he threaded his fingers through her hair, smiling as she murmured in her sleep and stilled again. Gently, oh so gently, he rearranged the blanket so as not to disturb her, and continued to stroke her soft hair, telling her all the things he'd always wanted to tell her but had never been able to.


	6. Realizations

_Chapter 6: Realizations_

Daniel scribbled some notes down, and flipped through one of his journals. Fortunately, the scroll was a variant on a language he'd recently translated, so he wasn't having much trouble with it. The language was fascinating actually, although several of the words could have different meanings. Take the last phrase for example. One translation might mean "out of darkness, light" while taken other way, it would read, "Turn out the light, and there will be darkness". Daniel sighed. He'd been at this for almost two hours and was nearly done but for those few stubborn phrases. Frowning, Daniel shifted some texts on his desk, looking for another reference, he'd left it right there on his desk the other day…

Just then, a glossy photo caught his eye, and something in his subconscious nagged at him. Picking it up, Daniel pushed his glasses up on his nose, studying the image of the hieroglyphs that he'd taken of Heqet's temple on P3X-468. Drumming his pen on the desk, his brow furrowed, and he absently grabbed for his notes on the planet. Eyes widening, he sought out the folder containing the rest of glossy photos containing pictures from the temple and shrine SG-1 had just visited, his heart clenching in sudden realization as the knowledge of what the translations meant sunk in.

"I need to find Teal'c."

_RibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbit_

Daniel burst into the briefing room, his eyes automatically latching onto the unruffled Jaffa warrior. Ignoring the startled looks Bra'tac and General Hammond sent his way, Daniel waved the glossy photos and notes at Teal'c and gasped out breathlessly, "Teal'c, we need to get back to Jack and Sam!"

General Hammond stood up. "Dr. Jackson, are you all right? What is going on?"

But Daniel just shook his head, and grabbed Teal'c's arm, pulling the larger man towards the door. "We'll explain later, but right now we need to get Jack and Sam back to base."

Daniel was halfway to the door, Teal'c in tow, when an iron like hand stopped him in his tracks. Turning, Daniel's eyes widened in disbelief to take in the sight of one Jacob Carter. "Just what the hell is going on Daniel? General Hammond said Sam was sick, but that she was doing just fine and staying at Colonel O'Neill's house with the rest of you. But if you have something else to add, I insist you say it now."

Like a deer caught in the headlights, Daniel's gaze wavered between the two generals in the room, one active, and one retired. Stalling, he stammered. "Uh, Jacob, I didn't know you were here."

But Jacob was not to be distracted. Still with a firm grip on Daniel's upper arm, Jacob's eyes gazed steadily at the other man. "I just got in. Got some specs for a possible counter weapon to Anubis' super soldiers I thought Sam might want to look at. Now, I believe I asked you a question."

Feeling like he was two years old and caught with his hand in the cookie jar, Daniel cast a glance at Teal'c, who only raised an eyebrow. Sighing, Daniel knew there was no hope for it. Sam was now alone with Jack, and if what he'd translated was correct, and given Jack's recent behavior, it likely was, they had to act quickly or it might just be the end of SG-1. Or given the way Jacob was acting the overprotective father, the end of Jack O'Neill when the other man found out how one sided the problem actually was.

Closing his eyes in a brief and silent prayer, Daniel breathed a quick sigh, and started to explain. "I think Jack's recent transformation on P3X-468 may have changed him more than we thought."

Hammond frowned. "But Dr. Fraiser assured me that everything was back to normal. Have you discovered something else?"

Wetting his lips and nodding, Daniel continued, relieved when Jacob let go of his arm, giving him some space. "Yeah, that's what we thought too. But, well, Jack's been acting a little preoccupied lately. Not much, just a little distracted, but you know Jack, and us being on isolation, Teal'c and I just thought he was bored. Until I saw this." Daniel displayed the photos in his hands. At the raised eyebrows, Daniel translated. "The inscriptions describe a type of fixation of the person that was transformed on the person that was responsible for reversing the transformation. They become obsessed with seeking to gain that person's attentions, and want to be with that person."

General Hammond coughed. "I think I understand, you don't need to explain anymore. You and Teal'c are dismissed, bring Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter back to base immediately."

"Actually, you do need to explain, and I'm coming with you, you can explain on the way. I have a pretty good idea that something is going on and that I'm not going to like it whatever it is." Jacob's tone brokered no arguments, and in the face of a diplomatic incident, Hammond merely nodded his permission.

Suddenly Jacob's head dipped, and the dual tones of a symbiote speaking filled the room. _"My host is feeling very strong emotions right now. I do have one question however, Jacob would not tell me. What is a life insurance policy, and why would Colonel O'Neill need one?"_


	7. Awakenings

_Chapter 7: Awakenings_

Sam woke to someone playing with her hair. Blinking groggily, she wiped the sleep from her eyes to find her head positioned on something warm and soft. It took her a few moments longer to realize that her pillow was Colonel O'Neill's lap, and that it was his hand idly stroking her hair. That brought her awake instantly, and she tried to sit up, but his hand easily prevented her from rising and Sam found she lacked the strength to fight.

"Sir?" she asked confused, instead trying to twist around to see his face.

"Shhh, Sam, it's ok, go back to sleep."

Instead of reassuring her, his words had the opposite effect, and Sam struggled all the more to get free, but the blanket, which before had been so comforting, now confined her movements, trapping her legs. "Sir, what's going on, where's Daniel and Teal'c?" The house was eerily quiet, and her sleep fogged brain struggled to process what was going on.

A brief look of anger crossed his face momentarily, but was quickly replaced by tenderness. He finally gave up on stroking her hair and allowed her to sit up, sensing his efforts to hold her were only making her more upset. "They had to go back to the mountain, it's not important. What matters is we're here, together." He smiled at her encouragingly.

Sam's brow's furrowed, and she scooted away, putting a small amount of distance between her and the Colonel. "Uh, sir, are you sure your feeling ok? Maybe I should call Janet." Sam made a move to reach for the phone, which should have been nearby, but Jack grabbed her hand, trapping her wrist gently, tracing patterns on her hand with his thumb.

"I'm fine Sam. In fact, I'm better than ever, thanks to you." He was staring at her intently, and Sam was starting to get a weird feeling, not to mention he'd just called her Sam for the second time she realized, as she hadn't really registered the first one still being half asleep. Her alarm growing, she studied her CO's face, as he studied her, wondering just what had come over him, he was acting like a lovesick teenager.

Her eyes narrowed. "Sir, what is it exactly that you want with me?"

"Goddammit Carter! All I want is just another kiss! Is that so much to ask?"

She jumped, her eyes wide as he raised his voice to her, the sudden change in moods startling. He was breathing heavily, eyes dark with emotion. She wet her lips, leaning back instinctively, trying to create a little space, but he scooted forward, his thigh pressing against hers, trapping her against the arm of the loveseat. "Sir..." she tried to say.

"Don't sir me Carter, dammit," She shrank back even further, and he seemed to sense her withdrawal, and suddenly, he relaxed, shifting slightly to ease some of the pressure, but maintaining the body contact. "Sam." His voice was softer as he switched back to her first name, almost pleading, begging. "I love you Sam, don't you see that? Can't you feel what I feel? I can't stop thinking about you Sam, all the time, don't you see? I need to kiss you, I need to feel your lips on mine again, please Sam, please." His other hand came up, fingers lightly tracing her jawbone making her shiver. Gently, he brushed his fingertips over her lips. Sam's eyes were locked on his face, searching for some clue, but he didn't seem to be really noticing her, his eyes filled with deep emotion but there was something different about him she couldn't place. All the time he was leaning closer and closer to her, and Sam had backed up against the arm of the loveseat as much as she could, but had no where else to go, with the Colonel's arm on one side pinning her wrist, and his body firmly pressing up against her. Normally, she could throw him off maybe, but in her weakened state, she didn't have a chance. She could feel his warm breath against her face now. When she'd permitted herself, sometimes in her deepest fantasies, she'd thought about kissing Jack, he whispering those words, but not like this.

She tried to bring up her other hand against his chest, and tried to distract him. "Sir, J-Jack, you don't mean this. Something is going on, you aren't thinking clearly."

But he just smiled, as he continued to advance. "Oh no, my sweet Sam, I'm thinking perfectly clearly, you'll see, just one more little kiss, that's all I want, and then you'll see."

And just as Sam saw the regulations blasting into millions of tiny pieces, and her working relationship with her CO that they'd worked so hard to preserve over the years going down the tubes, the front door slammed open, and Jack jumped back startled, but still in contact with her.

Then a loud deep voice boomed from the open doorway, one that Sam had never expected to hear, especially not at a moment like this. "Jack O'Neill, you had better get the hell away from my daughter if you want to live to see another day."


	8. Hormones

_Chapter 8: Hormones_

Jack sprang back as if he'd been burned, and was across the room faster than a cat with its tail on fire. "Oh God. Carter. What am I... I mean… Jeeze…" Abruptly, he ran his hands through his hair, making the short strands stand on end.

Jacob Carter appeared in the entryway, his face dark with anger, obviously torn between a desire to see to his daughter or to see if any punitive action needed to be meted out against a certain Colonel. The decision was reached a moment later when the large bulk of Teal'c blocked his view of said Colonel and a plaintive voice that he'd recognize anytime, anywhere, called out, "Dad?" Sam needed him. Decision made, Jacob sat on the loveseat, sweeping his rumpled daughter into his arms.

"Sheesh Sam, you look awful." He dropped a soft kiss on her forehead relieved when he felt the slight shaking of her nervous laughter reverberate against his chest. "You ok? Did he hurt you? Because if he did, Selmak knows a few ways to unman a person…" he let the threat hang menacingly and was rewarded with a soft snort and shake of her head.

"I'm fine," she said, face still muffled against his chest.

"You sure?" He pulled her away, taking another good look. "You don't look fine." She was pale and had dark circles under her eyes, and looked like she'd just woken up. A rumpled blanket and sock clad feet further confirmed this hypothesis. Jacob frowned at this familiarity of a subordinate at her CO's, but Selmak was quick to remind him of Sam's recent illness and Dr. Fraiser's orders that SG-1 recuperate together somewhere off-base, chance causing the two to be alone at an inopportune time.

"Really Dad, I'm fine. I've just been sick, you know how I get, hibernate until it's over." She grinned ruefully, and he smiled back, remembering how she used to burrow under the covers, needing to be coaxed out with her favorite foods.

"Okay kitten, I'll let you slide. Let's find your shoes, we're going to have to get you and Colonel O'Neill back to the base." He cocked his head to where Teal'c and Daniel were already manhandling a subdued Jack out of the room. "Now, any idea where those shoes are?" When Sam just stared at him blankly, tugging her blanket around her shoulders in a move reminiscent of her long ago childhood, Jacob took a deep breath and quietly asked Selmak how one managed not to kill their own offspring, and started looking under the furniture for Sam's missing shoes.

_RibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbit_

In the infirmary, Jack sat on one of the beds, Janet in front of him, her arms crossed, a very disappointed look on her face. "Colonel O'Neill, I distinctly recall telling you to come to me with any unusual symptoms. And I believe this counts as unusual."

Jack scowled. Then he fidgeted. And then he sighed. "What was I supposed to say Doc? That I've been thinking about Carter non-stop? That I wanted to take her in my arms and kiss her senseless? What was I supposed to say? What's wrong with me Doc?" He buried his face in his hands and groaned.

Janet closed her eyes briefly. She could understand where he was coming from. For years, she had watched these two struggling to stay on just the right side of regulations. They'd been through hell, and back again for each other and their team, and she'd watched them be forced to admit how they cared for each other, "a lot more than they were supposed to" and all that other crap, and in her opinion, it just wasn't fair, and now this.

Picking up her clipboard, Janet flipped to the page bearing the incriminating results. "You have a marked increase in hormones in your blood, hormones that are responsible for controlling moods, like feelings of love and desire. In short, you are about as emotional as a lovesick teenage male, with just about as much control."

Jack looked up, the surprise written all over his features. "What do you mean? How?"

"We think it has something to do with your recent transformation. Daniel was able to translate a few more of the inscriptions from the temple, seems like its an intentional side effect, the person would become fixated on whoever was responsible for reversing the process…"

A rather disturbed look crossed Jack's face, and he interrupted suddenly. "Uh, you mean if Teal'c or Danny had kissed me instead of Carter, I, uh, would of…"

Knowing what he was fumbling for, Janet hastened to respond. "Actually, it doesn't really say one way or the other. In any case," Janet decided it would be best to stick to the facts, "we may have a way to reverse the effects."

Jack raised an eyebrow, relief mixed with doubt over any possible cure. "You do?"

"We think a few days on high doses of the female hormone estrogen will help counteract the unusually high levels of the male hormones your experiencing, and will allow your body to adjust on it's own, and eventually go back to normal."

"Ah, female hormones." Jack blinked dubiously.

"It's that, or we lock you up in the brig for a month. Daniel was pretty sure that was how long it said the effects take to wear off on their own. Something about propagation, and creation, the circle of life, childbirth…"

"Ok, ok, I get it" Jack waved his hands frantically, not wanting to hear any more, especially if it had to do with childbirth.

"And not to mention we should probably keep you away from Jacob. He wasn't very happy."

"Female hormones it is." Jack frowned, suddenly thinking of something. "Say, this won't make me have hot flashes will it?"

Janet turned from where she was already preparing a syringe of the hormone, knowing Jack would have come to her way of thinking. "Oh, no. No hot flashes." She approached him with the syringe, which Jack eyed suspiciously, and so missed the mischievous glint in her eye. "But you should be warned it can cause some pretty powerful mood swings." With that, she deftly injected the hormone, smirking over Jack's disgruntled, "D'oh!"

_RibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbit_

Jacob Carter entered his on base guest quarters, and wearily closed the door behind him. It had been a long day, first convincing the Tok'ra high council to let him come bring vital intelligence so that the Tauri might work to develop a weapon against Anubis new super soldiers, only to have the situation with his daughter and Jack O'Neill literally falling into his lap. He'd just spent the last two hours letting George Hammond convince him _not_ to kill one Colonel Jack O'Neill slowly and painfully, although he'd never admit that he'd been convinced the moment he'd seen Sam was fine. Still, it was fun letting Hammond think he needed convincing.

Jacob sighed, right now however, all he wanted was to put his feet up, and get a good night's sleep. Unfortunately, something else seemed to be occupying his comfortable bed.

'_It seems we will be sleeping on the couch, Jacob_,' commented Selmak's voice wryly.

Looking down at the sleeping form, Jacob just shook his head, and then gently adjusted the covers before bending to brush a kiss on his daughter's forehead. She must have come looking for him and fallen asleep waiting.

'_Your daughter is a remarkable woman_.'

Jacob couldn't agree more. 'Yeah, that she is, that she is.' He smiled at his sleeping daughter one last time before turning away, finding some extra blankets and heading for the room's small, narrow couch.

'_Has she always been this way when sick?_' Selmak's tone was curious, as the Tok'ra had never seen this side of Jacob's daughter before.

Jacob chuckled softly, and then shared a few memories with his symbiote of the time Sam had been five, and had some stomach bug not unlike this one. He had only just returned from an extended deployment, the babysitter had cancelled, and his wife had to take Mark to some sort of school function only the two of them had understood, which left him alone to deal with one very small, very miserable little girl that was a bit uncomfortable around a man she hadn't seen in a very long time and only vaguely knew as her father. Jacob had never really dealt with the less than sunny side of his small, blonde daughter, so seeing her sick had been a bit of an eye opener for him. Sharing the memory, Jacob was still able to feel amazement at this ability to share complete thoughts and emotions with another living being. He felt Selmak's amusement over Sam's behavior as a child.

'_It would seem your daughter had her own version of a healing trance_.' Jacob snorted out loud at the observation.

'Yeah, her mother was the same way.' Jacob grew quiet, and so did Selmak, as Jacob's thoughts mulled over the day's events. He knew Sam had feelings for her CO, he'd have to be blind not to see it, they'd been a strong team for such a long time, which was unusual in itself. He knew Sam was strong, he just wondered if she was strong enough for this.

_RibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbit_

Jack lay awake in the infirmary, long after the lights had been dimmed, and the night shift nurses had retreated to the nurses' station to work on paperwork. The only other patient was asleep in a bed several beds away from his, like Jack was supposed to be, so Jack was alone with his thoughts.

Rolling over onto his side, Jack faced the wall, and thought about what he'd done, and about what he'd been about to do. Hormones or not, he'd crossed the line, and taken advantage of the trust his second in command placed in him. He wondered what she would think of him when she saw him next. Would she look at him with accusation in her eyes? Would she flinch away? Would she even be able to stand to be in the same room with him? Or would she understand?

Somehow, Jack thought that would be worse. Years ago, they'd left it all in the room. They'd worked so hard, her calling him sir until he hated the word, and he calling her Carter like it was a piece of furniture or her job or rank or something, not her name. All very professional, they were soldiers. He gave orders, she followed them and that was how it worked, and there was no room for feelings, not while they were in the military, and one of them could get killed, or left behind.

But wasn't that all the more reason to tell each other how they really felt? With a groan, Jack flopped onto his back, staring up at the dim gray ceiling, cursing his life, cursing the military and its stupid regulations, cursing the Goa'uld, cursing the stupid war, cursing his own cowardice for not being able to admit how he felt.

As soon as he thought it, he knew he couldn't tell her how he really felt, because it would hurt her even more than telling her it hadn't been real. Because they couldn't act on their feelings, the war needed them too much right now. Yeah, sure, he could retire, but he wouldn't, because it was too selfish of him. He wouldn't be able to sleep at night, thinking of his team, of her, of Danny, and Teal'c, of all the SG teams going out through that Gate every stinkin' day without him all because of his own selfish desires. And so he'd make his knees keep holding him up so he could watch their sixes, as long as he could, until they made him stop going through the gate.

And he wouldn't let Sam step down either, and take up a science position. They needed her right where she was; right there on the front line, kicking Goa'uld ass, and Replicator butts, and well, whatever else they came up against out there. Somehow he doubted she'd give up that frontline position anyway, she was too much like him. He suspected a little piece of her died too, every time one of their own came home in a bag, and he knew he couldn't ask her to stop going through that gate either, just for him, for them. Breaking up SG-1 was just as unthinkable. They weren't just a team. They were a family. And he knew the regulations wouldn't change, they were there for a reason.

So that just left one thing. The problem was, would he be able to live with himself for hurting her?


	9. She Deserves a Prince

_Conclusion: She Deserves a Prince_

Colonel O'Neill rounded the corner into Carter's lab. As predicted, she was hunched over some alien doohickey, prodding it with some sort of probe thingy. She looked much better than she had two days ago, two full night of rest and several full meals doing much to restore her color and normal vibrancy.

"So, Carter. Watcha doin'?" Jack rocked on his toes for a moment and shoved his hands into his pockets awkwardly, suddenly uncomfortable. It was the first time he'd been alone in her presence since they'd figured out his altered blood chemistry and starting him on the hormone therapy. It had worked remarkably quickly, his thoughts returning to normal by the very next day in fact, though Janet had insisted on keeping him confined to the infirmary until his hormone levels had returned to normal. His guilty conscience however, was another matter entirely.

Her head shot up at the sound of his voice and she whipped around, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. "Sir!"

Jack waved his hands, shrugging nonchalantly. He hadn't meant to startle her; he should have known his mere proximity would have set her off. "Sorry Carter. Just checkin' on ya. Thought we should, you know. Talk." He shrugged, as if it were no big deal. He studied the things on her desk, and shoved his hands back in his pockets to avoid the temptation of picking things up and fiddling, a sure way to piss her off.

Her eyebrows shot up. "Talk? Sir?"

"Yeah. You know, its what people do." He sighed, turning to face her. "Look, Carter, I owe you an apology. I should have said something sooner, but I let it get out of hand."

"Sir, it's not your fault…"

Jack held up a hand, "Ah, Carter, let me finish. I know what you're going to say. And, well, it was the hormones."

She looked perplexed and confused. "The hormones, sir?"

He paced a few steps away, before turning back towards her again. "Doctor Fraiser said my blood levels were like a hormone driven teenager on his first date. Everything I thought, everything I felt, it wasn't real. It was just the hormones Carter."

She blinked, biting her lip and swallowing, not quite meeting his eyes. "I-I see sir. Is that all?"

Jack wanted to kick himself, but he forged on ahead. It had to be done. "I'm sorry Carter, I just wanted you to know, that I didn't mean it. Not in that way. You know we can't." He saw the hurt in her eyes, but it was better, that's what he told himself, he'd already thought it through. And so he told himself again that the regulations wouldn't permit them to be together, and the war needed both of them too much where they were. And it wasn't fair to her to keep her waiting, and he wouldn't ask her to give up her career, not when he wasn't ready to do the same thing himself. And maybe if he kept telling himself these things, eventually, he'd believe them.

But her eyes were too bright, and Jack felt like a total bastard, even though he kept telling himself he was doing the right thing. Because if he was doing the right thing, then why did it feel so wrong? Finally, she regained control enough to speak. Picking up a folder, she clutched it to her chest like a shield. "I, I have to take this to General Hammond, sir."

Jack sighed, and nodded, and she turned, hesitating a moment as if she wanted to say something else, but seemed to change her mind suddenly squaring her shoulders. When she got to the door, Jack called her, not wanting to let the conversation end the way it had. "Carter," he said softly.

She turned back around, her expression troubled, but focused. "Sir?"

"My door is always open you know." He shoved his hands back into his pockets and watched her silently.

For a moment, she was silent, unmoving. After a while, she nodded, and he continued.

"I still care about you, you know. I hope this… this thing doesn't change that." He studied her face intently, watching the emotions play across it. A flicker of surprise, confusion, the earlier hurt still there, and finally a little understanding. He could live with that maybe he decided finally. He would still find it harder to live with himself.

She smiled briefly then, shifting awkwardly, blinking several times. "Thank you sir."

"And Carter?"

"Yes sir?"

And now Jack did pick up something from the desk, but he made sure it was only a pen, and not something alien or expensive. "SG-1's on some downtime, was thinking of having a little team night later this week…"

"Actually sir, as soon as Janet clears me for active duty in the next day or two, I'm joining up with Colonel Ronson on the Prometheus. Seems they need a little help with the engines and asked for me. General Hammond must not have told you yet." Sam shifted again, as if suddenly uncomfortable. "I, should ah, get this to the General, sir."

Jack blinked at the unexpected news. Maybe it would be for the best, give them some time alone to sort things out. He made a motion with his hands dismissing her, trying not to notice as she brushed at her face with the back of her hand and sniffled slightly as she turned her back on him yet again, trailing his fingers along the smooth surface of her desk.

As he let her walk away from him this time, he was filled with regret. Regret over the rules that wouldn't let them pursue any sort of relationship. Regret that she was alone, when she deserved so much more. Regret that he couldn't be her prince, but right now as he let her walk away again, he didn't feel much like a prince at all, he felt more like a frog, and so Jack O'Neill convinced himself that maybe it was better this way, and turned away from the one thing he might regret.

Finis 

_A/N: Well, I hope you don't hate me for the ending! This one sorta evolved on it's own, and as I wrote it, I'd originally set it in season 7, and then I thought, what if I set it just before Grace… Then I thought, what if this were the catalyst for Sam's visions/hallucinations of Jack telling her he's a "safe bet" and Jacob telling her she deserved to be loved etc, and for her getting a boyfriend. And so the little bit of conversation and Jack being hurtful in the end, but thinking he was doing them both a favor while he did it, even though he knew he was hurting her… And then Sam going off on the Prometheus… Well that's my take on things… Like I told SG1-Fanfic in an email before I even attempted this sequel, I fell into this one, in this setting, so I refused to use any of the old cliché presidential pardon, Jack retires, Sam quits, one of them transfers etc etc used and abused means of getting them together so that left me with UST, which would frustrate us all in the end, but I hope it was fun along the way! Special thanks to SG1-Fanfic for being my idea beta, and for all the lengthy discussions on why Sam's a great character (lol!) and why Jack can be a real bastardo sometimes lol. _

_Anyway, again, I hope you don't all hate me for not putting Sam and Jack together in the end. I'm still working them together in my mind, and trying to work out how that feels, and to be honest it's still a bit like sleeping with one's boss, which I tried to explain a bit from Jack's point of view in the story as to why he didn't think it would work, at least not then. Anyway, I haven't written any real J/S before, so this UST is the first major break for me, and I do hope to write some real J/S romance one day, this one just wasn't it. Someday though, I'll think of a plausible, different way of doing it. Maybe. But I still think aliens should demand they have hot monkey love on the briefing room table in exchange for their naquadah. Hrm. Yeah._

_Well, Thank you to everyone that stuck through til the bitter end, and for all the lovely comments, and for not killing me if the ending didn't live up to your expectations! I hope you'll continue to read my other fics, as I have a few more in the works._

_PS: Janissima, you don't know how hard it was for me to sit on my hands and not go rewriting things and make Sam pregnant after your earlier review lol. That was an idea I hadn't thought of lol. She could have gotten pregnant in either the initial blast or when she kissed Jack the Frog. But then when I thought about it, I didn't want them basing a relationship on a baby coming, and if I was writing J/S the baby would come after the relationship was established, which is as it should be, since I already have so many doubts about the commander/subordinate roles their current relationship already have, throwing a baby in the works would make too much of a mess for our Jack and Sam. Besides, there's already one great (well more than one… lol) J/S baby fic out there isn't there? ;)_


End file.
